Wildest Dream (Teach Me Book 1)

by RC Boldt

  Lawson made a buzzing sound. “Incorrect,” Zach piped up. Then, the two looked at each other. “Nicely done, partner,” Lawson raised his hand for a high-five from Zach.

  “I feel like I’m part of a freak show,” Mac mumbled under his breath before cutting his eyes toward the two of them. “How do you figure I have a chance?”

  Lawson stepped forward. “So glad you asked. You see, we talked to Laney who told us that she saw Adam leaving this morning and that they are not -I repeat, not- getting hitched. She confirmed this just a few minutes ago.”

  “Which means,” Zach interjected, “that you will have your chance to make things right, woo her and get her back.”

  “Did you really just use the word ‘woo’ in a sentence?” Mac stared at his friend.

  “Hey,” Zach reprimanded. “I’m an English major. ‘Woo’ is a classy word, bro.” He looked to Lawson for affirmation.

  His friend nodded, “Woo is a good word, man. Every woman wants to be wooed.”

  “And just how am I supposed to ‘woo’ Raine, exactly?”

  They both looked at him as if the answer were totally obvious before Zach answered.

  “With the grand gesture, of course.”

  “Of course,” Mac muttered.

  “You have to show her that you’ll put yourself out there, make a fool out of yourself if necessary, to prove your love and your worth,” Zach informed him.

  Lawson looked over at Zach with awe. “Nicely put, man.”

  The two men exchanged a fist bump.

  Mac rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but this is going to take some serious wooing.”

  Pulling up chairs, his two friends sat down across from his desk. “That’s why we’re here. To help plan.”

  SATURDAY NIGHT ROLLED around and Mac had decided to make an appearance at karaoke night. He hoped that since he and Raine had developed some sort of unspoken truce since that day on the beach that it wouldn’t be too awkward for him to rejoin everyone. He noticed that she still didn’t sit near him at their table in the karaoke bar, but he was hoping that he might be able to change her mind sometime soon.

  Suddenly, the DJ called Mac’s name. “And, now, we have our good friend Mac, who we haven’t seen in a while, singing a song we all know so well. Let’s welcome Mac who will be singing a classic amongst the classics!” Dean, the DJ, announced.

  Lawson and Zach slapped him on the back and wished him good luck. Mac walked up to the stage to accept the microphone and quickly spoke into it, looking straight at Raine.

  “This song is dedicated to Raine, the love of my life.”

  RAINE FELT ALMOST dizzy as everyone at the table turned to look curiously at her.

  Laney nudged her, smiling. “Love of his life, huh?”

  She barely managed to offer up a halfhearted smile. Shocked didn’t begin to cover how she was feeling right then.

  It only got worse when his song choice was revealed.

  Oh. My. God.

  He was not seriously singing “I Will Always Love You,” was he?

  Oh, but he was.

  Mac was softening his voice to sound breathy like the beginning of the well-known ballad. It was nothing short of hilarious and the entire bar’s population was rapt in attention, laughing intermittently.

  When he was finished, he spoke into the microphone.

  “I’m sorry, Raine. I messed up. I love you more than anything in the world and always will.”

  And that is when she ran out of the bar.

  WELL, THEN. SO much for his grand gesture. Apparently, his singing was so bad that she chose to literally run away from him.

  Mac was having trouble fighting his way through the crowded bar with everyone wanting to give him high fives for his performance and some verbal accolades that he began to worry about not catching up to Raine in time.

  Finally, he made it through the double doors leading out to the dimly lit side street. They were open, as was the norm on the weekend when the weather was especially nice, with a bouncer on each side. As he stepped through them, he looked around trying to spot Raine. Not seeing her, he panicked.

  He should take it as a sign that she didn’t want to have anything more to do with him if she ran away from his karaoke declaration.

  Damn it. He had gambled and lost.

  Fuck.

  Raine was it for him. She was, simply, his world. And he had been too damn stubborn, too blinded by his painful past to do anything about it in time.

  “Fuck,” he groaned, running his hands over his face in frustration at his apparent failure.

  “Well, that’s hardly teacher-approved language,” came a soft voice from the shadows against the building.

  He spun around in surprise. He watched as Raine stepped from the shadows along the corner of the building and his chest tightened with hope.

  So much hope.

  “Raine?”

  She walked toward him slowly. “That was quite the performance in there.”

  A bit of a strangled laugh came out of him. He slid his hands in his pockets, suddenly nervous, and shrugged.

  “I, uh, wasn’t quite sure what it would take to get your attention.” He stepped closer to her. “I just wanted you to know exactly how I feel about you.”

  “And how exactly do you feel about me?” Her softly spoken question startled him.

  His laugh was forced. It figured that she would make him spell it out for her in addition to him singing that godawful ballad. Time to lay it all on the line. Then, maybe he’d feel better and be able to move on once he confessed his feelings for her.

  Move on. Yeah, right.

  Taking another step closer to her, he took a deep, fortifying breath and looked in her eyes.

  “I stand in front of the woman I was too stupid to admit my love for. The only woman I could imagine -or would want to imagine- waking up to every morning. The only woman who knows me inside and out and still thought I was good enough to love.”

  He could see her eyes widen as she listened to his heartfelt words. Mac continued, taking one more step toward her, closing the distance between them. Reaching out tentatively, he brushed a curl back from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

  “You taught me what it’s like to love someone with your whole being. You’re the only woman I’ve ever truly loved, Raine. And you always will be. I know that I was too stupid to see it and I know I’ve lost you. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”

  Exhaling slowly, he gave her a smile that he knew didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I want you to be happy. And if that’s with some other guy, then so be it.”

  He bent and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead before turning to walk away.

  If he could just make it to his truck, he’d be in the clear. He had never cried over a girl before in his life but with the way his eyes were starting to burn and the unrelenting tightness in his chest, he’d probably be bawling like a freaking baby on the way back to his house. Distantly, he registered the clicking of heels along the sidewalk, trailing after him.

  “Mac!”

  He stopped but didn’t turn around, couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t look at her right now.

  “Mac.” He felt her soft fingers touch his arm. “Will you please turn around? I have something I need to tell you.”

  He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes and, with a resigned sigh, turned slowly to face her.

  Reaching her hand out to grasp his, she whispered, “Thank you for the song.”

  Closing his eyes upon feeling her touch, he nearly groaned. “You’re welcome.”

  “But I do have a pretty major complaint.”

  His eyes flew open to meet hers. She had that feisty look he had come to love. But tonight, he didn’t know what to make of it.

  “A complaint?” He asked slowly, uncertainly.

  Nodding, she leaned into him. “It should’ve been the song from Grease. You know, ‘You’re The One
That I Want’?”

  Everything seemed to just pause as he tried to digest what she was saying. Searching her eyes, he saw the love there he knew was reflected in his own. He felt his knees go weak with relief and he leaned closer to her.

  “Is that right?”

  “Yep. Because, Mac . . .” she trailed off as she leaned closer, tilting her head so her lips were just a breath away from his.

  “Yeah, Raine?”

  “You’re definitely the one I want,” she whispered, her lips brushing against his with her words.

  He slid his hands into her hair- God, how he had missed this- and cradled her head in his hands, putting his forehead against hers.

  Angling his head to slide his lips over hers, he whispered, “I love you,” before kissing her like his life depended on it.

  Because, for Mac, it did.

  New Year’s Eve

  “RAINE? EVERYONE WILL be here soon. You ready?” Mac called from outside the bathroom door where she was finishing up her hair.

  She had on a strapless, slate colored cocktail dress that had a shiny metallic hue to it. It was fitted in the waist and the skirt flared, the hemline hitting just above her knees.

  Raine had let her hair fall in soft waves and the only jewelry she wore was a thin, white gold chain with the princess cut diamond pendant hanging from it. It was something classic but understated and perfect. Her fingers brushed over the necklace and she smiled to herself. Mac had given it to her for Christmas.

  “Raine?” he called again, bringing her out of her thoughts.

  “I’m coming!” she answered, pulling the bathroom door open and walking down the hall. She stopped short when she saw him standing with his back against the sliding glass door leading out to the back deck.

  Good Lord, this man was a feast for the eyes. In his black dress slacks paired with a dark turquoise button down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to show off his muscular forearms, he was a sight.

  “You look breathtaking,” Mac told her as his eyes took her in, sliding over her in a caress. “Come with me. There’s something I want to show you.” He tilted his head toward the door and then slid it open as she neared.

  Raine stepped through and her breath caught at the beauty he had created again this year. He had strung all the tiny, white lights above them but this time there seemed to be even more.

  “You’ve outdone yourself, Mr. Mackenzie,” she gazed at his work. When he didn’t respond, she turned back to face him, catching him with an odd look on his face.

  “What?” she looked down at herself, trying to see if something was out of place with her attire. Not finding anything wrong, she looked at him. “What is it?”

  He finally gave her a sweet smile, flashing that dimple at her. “Just thinking about how different things were this time last year.”

  She let out a little laugh, eyes sparkling. “That’s an understatement.”

  Mac began walking toward her and she gestured with her hands to the impressive display of lights above their heads.

  “When you said there was something you wanted me to see, I definitely didn’t expect this. Not sure how you’re going to top this next year, buddy,” she winked at him.

  He stopped in front of her and looked down at her thoughtfully. “You never know, Raine. I might end up surprising you when you least expect it.”

  Her head tilted to the side and she gave him a curious smile. “That’s a very cryptic statement.”

  Mac shrugged. “I’m just saying. Who knows what might happen, right? Next year, we might be married. Two years after that, we might have our first kid. Possibilities are endless.”

  Eyeing him suspiciously, she asked him, saying the words slowly, “You do realize that for all of that to happen, you’d actually have to propose, right?” She gave a tiny laugh which turned into a gasp as he dropped down to one knee in front of her.

  Mac gazed up at her, that dimple ever so prominent in his wide smile, as if he were thoroughly enjoying catching her off guard.

  “I do know this, Raine.” Then, he took her hand in his as he spoke. His gaze softened, slipping into a more serious look.

  “I love you, Raine. You are everything to me. You own my heart and soul. I still don’t know what you see in me, but if you marry me, I promise that I will spend the rest of my life proving myself worthy of you.

  “You’re the woman I want to wake up to every morning and lie next to every night, the one I imagine having a dark-haired little girl with green eyes that light up when she smiles. You’re the woman who makes everything in my world brighter when I see you smile. And when I make you laugh-” he broke off, clearing his throat before continuing with eyes that had a slight sheen. “Making you laugh makes my heart feel like it’s too big for my chest.

  “I love you with all that I am and I would be both honored and proud to be able to call you my wife. Raine,” he pulled out a small box from his pocket and opened it. “Will you marry me?”

  Raine stared at the beautiful ring, a white gold band with a princess cut diamond in the center before returning her eyes to his. Mac has begun to worry since she hadn’t immediately answered him.

  “Stand up,” her tone was firm, but gentle.

  Mac’s look was guarded as he stood slowly, hesitantly. Sliding her hands up his chest to his shoulders, her wedge heels bringing the top of her head to meet just below his nose, she tilted her head to look up at him.

  In mock seriousness, she whispered, “Now, you should know that if you’re on your knees in front of me, I’m usually expecting something a whole hell of a lot different.” Her lips curved into a mischievous smile. “But I’ll make an exception for my future husband.”

  Mac’s relieved laugh made her smile widen even further.

  “You’re a hussy,” his voice was husky. Still shaking his head at her, he slid the ring on her finger.

  “I’m no hussy,” she furrowed her brows in mock hurt.

  “No, you’re not, Raine,” he whispered against her lips, arms holding her tightly to him. “You’re my wildest dream come true.”

  The End

  RC Boldt is the wife of Mr. Boldt, a retired Navy Chief, mother of Little Miss Boldt, and former teacher of many students. She currently lives on the coast of North Carolina but dreams of relocating to a tropical island. When she’s not writing, she can be found daydreaming of relocating to a tropical island, at the beach, going running with her family (and contemplating *gently* tossing her daughter out of the jogging stroller to reduce weight resistance), singing karaoke, harassing her husband or relaxing with a good book. And, let’s be honest. Most of those activities listed probably include wine or a good microbrew. Except for the running. In that case, the drinks come afterward.

  RC loves hearing from her readers at rcboldtbooks@gmail.com.

  This book would have never been possible if it weren’t for the following individuals:

  My former coworkers, the ladies I’m proud to call my friends and still laugh about our teaching shenanigans. I’m sure you’ll notice some of these familiar stories in here.

  Heather K., my soul sister, for pretty much always telling me I’d kick ass at this book writing thing. And anything else I ever mention trying. I consider myself beyond lucky to call you my friend.

  Kristi and Lynn for letting me shove book blurbs and manuscripts in front of them to look over and critique. You ladies are the best and I thank UNF for uniting us years ago!

  To my beta readers who jumped at the chance to read my book when I casually mentioned I was writing one. Thank you for your helpful critiques. You ladies rock!

  My parents. I love you. Maybe now you’ll admit I’m your favorite child. *wink wink*

  Last, but certainly not least, my husband who didn’t bat an eye when I told him I wanted to write a book. Thanks for your steadfast encouragement and for always letting me read to you on road trips to “catch any errors and fine tune things.”

  C Boldt, Wildest Dream (Teach Me Book 1)